Sheet feeding apparatus



May 14, 1957 J. PERRIN SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS Filed March 4, 1954 5 SheetsSheet l Inventor By C May 14, 1957 i J PERRIN 2,792,220

SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS Filed March 4, 1954 5 SheetS-Sheet 2 Inventor JaHA/PMRW y 4, 1957 J. PERRIN SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1954 I6 Inventor JomvRWR/A/ SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS John Perrin, Croydon, England, assignor to Powers-Samas Accounting Machines Limited, London, England, a British company Application March 4,1954, Serial No. 414,102

Claims priority, application Great Britain March 30, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 271-32) This invention relates to sheet-feeding apparatus and in particular to sheet-feeding apparatus for feeding from a pile individual sheets of paper or similar material either in used or unused condition.

It is often found that when feeding sheets from a pile by the use of a suction feeding device two or more sheets tend to adhere to each other and tobe fed simultaneously and it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of sheet feeding apparatus having means to ensure a separating operation whereby when a suction feeding device becomes operative it feeds only one sheet from the pile.

According to the present invention there is provided for feeding sheets of paper or similar material from a pile, apparatus comprising a magazine having a stop against which are located the leading edges of a pile of sheets and supports to retain the pile in the magazine, co-operating feed rollers to move a sheet away from the magazine, a suction device to co-operate with an end sheet of the pile and to move the sheet to a position at which it can be engaged by said feed rollers, 21 reciprocable carriage to move the suction device between the position at which it first co-operates with a sheet and the position at which it delivers the sheet for engagement by said feed rollers, and means to effect reciprocation of the carriage, wherein at least one friction pad is supported for movement towards and away from the sheet to be engaged by the suction device, and actuating means is operable in timed relation with the reciprocating movements of the carriage to move the pad into engagement with said sheet prior to engagement thereof by the suction device and slightly to move the sheet away from said stop to effect separation of the sheet from the next sheet in the pile preparatory to engagement of the sheet by the suction device.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood one embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: 1

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking in the direction of arrow II, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan of Fig. 1 and I Figs. 4 to 7 illustrate diagrammatically the mode of operation of the sheet-feeding apparatus.

flhe sheet-feeding apparatus illustrated in the drawings comprises a magazine 1, having stops 2 13.1 the forward -end thereof and a slotted plate or platform 3 an .edge'of which is spaced from the stops and by which' a pile of sheets4, Figs. 4 to 7, is supported within" the magazine. The distance between the stops 2 and the rear wall of the magazine is so selected as to'be greater than that dimension of a sheet which is to be'located between the stops 2- and the rear wall 5, as illustrated in Figs. 4to 7.

The magazine 1 is supported between a pair of frames Stare =are, as,.shown inFigs. 4" to 7, locatedagainst the' stops 2.

2,792,220 Patented May 14, 1957 ice 6, which frames also support co-operating upper and lower rollers 7, 8, of which the lower roller 8 is positively rotated from a driving shaft 9 by means of gear wheels, not shown. The roller 7 is supported by bearings 10 slidable in slots 11 formed in the frames 6, the bearings 10 being engaged by springs 12 tending to urge the roller 7 into co operative engagement with the roller 8. As can be seen from Fig. 2 and Figs. 4 to 7, there is provided for each bearing 11 a bell-crank lever 13 pivoted at 14 to a frame 6 and urged by a spring 15 towards a cam 16 rotatable with the shaft 9. The cam 16 operates, as is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7, to raise the rollers 7 to permit the free entry therebetween of the leading end of a sheet by a suction device which partially withdraws the lowermost sheet of a pile from the magazine 1 and delivers it to the rollers 7, 8 so that these rollers, by cooperation, complete the removal of the sheet from the magazine and deliver it to any desired position or to further feed rollers which, in turn, feed the sheet away from the magazine. 7

The suction device comprises three sucker elements 17, Fig. 3, the suction device being supported by a hollow spindle 13 journalled in bearings 19 pivoted to a carriage 20 disposed beneath the plate 3 and connected with a pair of arms 21 for reciprocating movement towards and away from the rollers 7, 8. The hollow spindle 18 is connected through a valve 22 and tubing 23 with a vacuum tank or pump, not shown, the valve 22 being operated in timed relation with the reciprocating movements of the carriage 20 so that suction is applied to the devices 17 at the appropriate moment when the devices are beneath a sheet in the magazine 1, and is cut off when a sheet has been delivered by the suction device between the feed rollers 7, 8 to be gripped by the rollers thereby to complete the withdrawal of the sheet from the magazine. Operation of the valve 22 is effected, in known manner, by a pin 24 carried by the valve and located in a slot 25, Fig. 2, formed in a pivoted link 26 connected to two further links 27, 28 of which the link 28 is pivoted at 29 to one of the frames 6 and is rocked about its pivot by a cam 30, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, movable with the shaft 9. The hollow spindle 13 is rockable about its axis by an arm 31, Fig. 3, having apin 32 projecting therefrom, the pin 32 being operated by a linkage similar to the linkage 26, 27, 28 and a cam 33, Figs. 1 and 4, also secured to the shaft 9.

The arms 21 for the carriage 20 are supported for pivotal movement by a spindle 34 supported by brackets 35 mounted on a base plate 36 which also supports the frames 6. Pivotal movement of the arms 21 is effected through cooperation between a roller 37 carried by one of the arms and a cam 38 secured to the shaft 9 for rota- .relationwith the reciprocatory movements of the carriage to cause the carriage to be moved towards and away from the plate 3. The plungers 42 and guide elements 41 carried thereby are supported for vertical reciprocating move- 'ment in guides 44 secured to the frames 6 and the lower ends of the plungers 42 carry lateral pins 45 housed in bearing blocks 46 carried by the ends of rocking arms 47 carried by a tubular member 48 surrounding a pivot rod 49. The member 48 supports an arm 50 whichcarries a roller 51 for co-operation with'a cam 52 secured to shaft 9.

Extending upwards from the carriage and secured thereto for movement therewith are four friction pads 53 made in any suitable material, for example from a mixture of cork and rubber. The friction pads 53 operate in slots 54 formed in the plate 3.

In order that the mode of operation of the apparatus may be understood this will now be explained, more particularly with reference to Figs. 4 to 7 of the drawings. When the leading end of a sheet has been delivered between the rollers 7 and 8, suction is cut off from the suction device 17 and the carriage 20 commences its return stroke, that is to the left as viewed in Figs. 4 to 7. At this time the carriage 20 is in the lower position thereof as illustrated in Fig. 7, but as the friction pads 53 approach the rearward ends of the slots 54 the plungers 42 are moved upwards by cam 52 so that the guide elements 41 are raised thereby thus moving the carriage 20 in an upward direction while it is still continuing its return stroke. The upward movement of the carriage causes the friction pads 53 to be moved into engagement with the lowermost sheet S of the pile contained in the magazine and the continuing return movement of the carriage causes the sheet S engaged by the friction pads to be moved for a short distance, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, away from the stops 2. now in the positions illustrated in Fig. 4 and operation of cam 33 causes the sucker devices 17, whose pivotal axis is now located beneath the platform 3, to be rocked, countenclockwise as viewed in Fig. 4, so that they are moved into engagement with the leading end portion of the lowermost sheet. The cam now becomes operative and operates valve 22 so that suction is applied to the lowermost sheet S through the suction devices 17 whereupon cam 33 causes the suction device to be rocked clockwise so that the leading end portion of the lowermost sheet S is drawn downwards at a sharp angle about the leading edge of the plate 3, see Fig. 5, and to a position beyond the plane of the ends 55, Figs. 4 to 7, of the stops 2. As the leading edge of the sheet has been moved away from the stops 2 it does not tend to foul or jam against the stops while the leading end portion is being bent downwards by the elements 17. The cam 38 now becomes operative to move the carriage 20 forward, that is to the right as viewed in Figs. 4 to 7, and as the carriage moves forward the suction device pulls the lower-most sheet S from beneath the pile of sheets 4 and delivers the leading end portion thereof between the rollers 7 and 8 which at this time have been moved apart by the bell-crank levers 13, as indicated in Fig. 6. In Fig. 6 the suction devices 17 are shown approaching the full extent of the forward movement thereof and when they have reached their full forward movement, and so located the sheet between the rollers 7 and 8, the cam 16 will permit co-operation between the roller 7 and 8 and cam 30 will cut off the suction from the devices 17 whereupon the roller 7 and 8, as illustrated in Fig. 7, will continue the withdrawal of the sheet from the magazine while the carriage 20 will return to the starting position thereof. When the carriage reaches the end of its forward movement, the carriage, as can be seen from Fig. 7, is moved by the plungers 42 and guide elements 41 to the lower position thereof ready for the return movement.

From the foregoing it will be understood that a sheet feeding device according to the present invention provides means cooperating with a reciprocating suction device arranged to feed sheets from a magazine whereby, before the suction device becomes operative to engage a sheet to be fed thereby, such sheet is separated from the other sheets of the pile preparatory to engagement thereof by the suction device. The up-anddown movement of the friction pads also tends to keep the pile of sheets-in an agitated condition which also assists in ensuring that two sheets donot adhere when suction is applied to a sheet y he. c io d The carriage 20 and friction pads 53 are I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding sheets of paper or similar material from the bottom of a pile, comprising a magazine, a stop carried by the magazine to locate the leading edges of sheets piled in the magazine, a platform at the bottom of the magazine to support a pile of sheets therein, said platform having its leading edge spaced from said stop and including a slot extending lengthwise thereof between its rear and leading edges, a carriage reciprocable beneath said platform, a suction device movable with said carriage and pivotally mounted thereon to engage a sheet resting on the platform and to move the sheet portion extending beyond the leading edge of the platform downwards about said leading edge while its pivot is located beneath the platform, a friction pad movable into and out of said slot in said platform, and actuating means operable in timed relation with the reeiprocatory movements of the carriage and co-acting with said pad to effect said movements thereof and to cause the paid to move a sheet resting on the platform in a straight line path away from said stop prior to engagement of the sheet by the suction device.

2. Apparatus for feeding sheets of paper or similar material from the bottom of a pile, comprising a magazine, a stop carried by the magazine to locate the leading edges of sheets piled in the magazine, a platform at the bottom of the magazine to support a pile of sheets therein, said platform having its leading edge spaced from said stop and including a slot extending lengthwise thereof between its rear and leading edges, a carriage reciprocable beneath said platform, guide elements supporting the carriage for reciprocation, plungers connected with said guide elements and operable in timed relation with the carriage to reciprocate the guide elements towards and away from said platform in a path normal to the path of said carriage, a suction device movable with said carriage and pivotally mounted thereon to engage a sheet resting on the platform and to move the sheet portion extending beyond the leading edge of the platform downwards about said leading edge while its pivot is located beneath the platform, and a friction pad carried by the carriage for movement thereby into said slot in said platform on movement of said guide elements by said plungers during the return movement of the carriage thereby to engage a sheet resting on the platform and to move it in a straight line path away from said stop prior to engagement of the sheet by the suction device.

3. Apparatus for feeding sheets of paper or similar material from the bottom of a pile, comprising a magazine, a stop carried by the magazine to locate the leading edges of sheets piled in the magazine, a platform at the bottom of the magazine to support a pile of sheets therein, said platform having its leading edge spaced from said stop and including a slot extending lengthwise thereof between its rear and leading edges, a carriage reciprocable beneath said platform, a suction device movable with said carriage and pivotally mounted thereon to engage a sheet resting on the platform and to move the sheet portion extending beyond the leading edge of the platform downwards about said leading edge while its pivot is located beneath the platform, a friction pad movable into and out of said slot in said platform, actuating means operable in timed relation with the reciprocatory movements of the carriage and co-acting with said pad to effect said movements thereof and to cause the pad to move a sheet resting on the-platform in a straight line path away from said stop prior to engagement of the sheet by the suction device, cooperating feed rollers to receive from the suction device the leading end of a sheet partly removed from the magazine by the suction device and to complete the removal of the sheet from the magazine, said rollers being supported for movement towards and away from each other, and roller separating means operative in timed relation withfsaid carriage to move the rollers apart to permit the free entry'therebetween of the leading end of the sheet and to restore them to the co-operative feeding positions thereof when the leading end portion of a sheet has been delivered therebetween.

4. Apparatus for feeding sheets of paper or similar material from the bottom of a pile, comprising a magazine, a stop carried by the magazine to locate the leading edges of sheets piled in the magazine, a platform at the bottom of the magazine to support a pile of sheets therein, said platform having its leading edge spaced from said stop and including a slot extending lengthwise thereof between its rear and leading edges, a carriage reciprocable beneath said platform, guide elements supporting the carriage for reciprocation, plungers connected with said guide elements and operable in timed relation with the carriage to reciprocate the guide elements towards and away from said platform in a path normal to the path of said carriage, a suction device movable with said carriage and pivotally mounted thereon to engage a sheet resting on the platform and to move the sheet portion extending beyond the leading edge of the platform downwards about said leading edge while its pivot is located beneath the platform, a friction pad carried by the carriage for movementthereby into said slot in said platform on movement of said guide elements by said plun-gers during the return movement of the carriage thereby to engage a sheet resting on the platform and to move it in a straight line path away from said stop prior to engagement of the sheet by the suction device, cooperating feed rollers to receive from the suction device the leading end of a sheet partly removed from the magazine by the suction device and to complete the removal of the sheet from the magazine, said rollers being supported for movement towards and away from each other, and roller separating means operative in timed relation with said carriage to move the rollers apart to permit the free entry therebetween of the leading end of the sheet and to restore them to the co-operative feeding positions thereof when the leading end portion of a sheet has been delivered therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,460,336 Hart June 26, 1923 1,656,406 Waterworth Jan. 17, 1928 2,524,417 Bamber Oct. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,675 Germany Aug. 11, 1939 

